Univision to Launch Unified Streaming Service

Univision Communications has unveiled its plans for a streaming service that includes both free ad-supported and premium subscription-based options, set to launch in the U.S. and Latin America in 2022.

The two-tier streamer promises more Spanish-language originals than any other streaming service. The offering will be fueled by full access to Televisa’s content library and IP as well as an ambitious slate of new originals produced by the leading creators in the Spanish-speaking world.

The best of the existing PrendeTV, VIX and Univision NOW services will be transitioned and unified into one global service and brand. Brand, pricing and specific launch date for the service will be announced following the close of the Televisa-Univision merger later this year.

The AVOD tier will be anchored by Univision’s current free Spanish-language streaming service, PrendeTV.

The new SVOD tier will feature more than 6,000 hours of Spanish-language content and more than 30 original productions exclusively on the service within its first year.

Rodrigo Mazon has joined the company as executive VP and GM of SVOD, reporting directly to Pierluigi Gazzolo, president and chief transformation officer at Univision. With more than 10 years of experience in streaming, Mazon joins Univision from Netflix, where he most recently served as VP of content.

Maria Dueñas, the best-selling author of El tiempo entre costuras (The Time in Between) and La templanza (The Vineyard), has signed a first-look deal with Univision.

Mario Vargas Llosa, an internationally acclaimed Peruvian author and Nobel Prize winner, will have his 2006 novel Travesuras de la niña mala (The Bad Girl) adapted into a television series, which will be executive produced by Patricio Wills from Televisa’s W Studios.

Santiago Limon, creator and co-writer of the hit comedy film Hasta que la boda nos separe and director and executive producer of the highly anticipated reboot of Rebelde, will deliver Pinches Momias, an action, horror and comedy series in which Guanajuato’s mummies come back from the dead during the busiest week of the year and a group of troubled teenagers becomes the town’s only hope to survive.

Also coming to the service is Mujer del Diablo, an original series created by Leonardo Padron, who was the writer of Amar a Muerte, Rubi and Si Nos Dejan.

Univision inked a development deal with Caracol Televisión, 360 Powwow and Isla Audiovisual for the historical series No Llegaron Solos, an intense, epic story reviving the conquest of the Americas and depicting the amazing journey of legendary Catalina de Erauso, one of the most rebellious women of all time.

“I am thrilled to be creating my first streaming series for such an impactful Spanish-language brand as Univision,” said Dueñas. “Creating an original series alongside a team who understands the importance of creating in-language content for the millions of Spanish speakers around the world is a dream come true.”

Vargas Llosa commented, “Univision’s invitation to join a newly developing community of Spanish-language creators under one expansive umbrella is a true game-changer for us. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute at the onset of this visionary service and look forward to bringing quality Spanish-language content to life alongside the talented team at Univision.”

Limon said, “For too long, Spanish-language content has been marginalized and relegated to an industry afterthought. Univision’s expanded streaming offering provides a focused and prestigious home to Spanish-language content with a singular mission. I could not be more excited to join and collaborate with this exciting roster of fellow creatives.”

“Today’s announcement is a quantum leap in Univision’s transformation as we aggressively scale and expand our streaming capabilities to bring thousands of hours of premium, original content to the nearly 600 million Spanish speakers around the world,” said Gazzolo. “We are excited to announce our new SVOD service as a powerful cornerstone of this strategy, providing us the opportunity to reach global audiences with high-quality, original programming from distinguished producers and top talent not available anywhere else. With PrendeTV, and now with our SVOD offering, Univision is uniquely positioned to satisfy the global demand for premium Spanish-language content, the last truly meaningful open lane in global video streaming.”

Gazzolo continued, “Today’s announcement of our planned expansion is further bolstered by the impressive executive team leading our SVOD offering and PrendeTV. With this team we are bringing together some of the deepest and most relevant expertise in streaming across the media landscape. Rodrigo brings to Univision more than a decade of streaming experience from leading services such as Netflix and Hulu, where he established a proven track record of identifying programming trends that quickly engaged audiences as well as attracting notable creative talent across the entertainment industry.”

Mazon said, “Univision is an iconic brand and the leading Spanish-language media company in the United States. The previously announced merger between Televisa and Univision will create a company of unprecedented creative resources in the Spanish-speaking world. I could not be more excited to join such a unique company and visionary team at a pivotal time in Univision’s growth and transformation trajectory. I am eager to help drive Univision’s global expansion through the launch of our SVOD service, which will enable us to engage global streaming audiences with compelling storytelling opportunities from our creative community.”

Mazon continued, “Today we are only sharing a mere glimpse into the unrivaled Spanish-language originals’ slate that our SVOD service will feature. In addition to having direct access to the largest Spanish-language studio in the world, Televisa, Univision is also opening its doors to invite established and emerging Spanish-language creators to join us in developing what will undoubtedly be the most prolific Spanish-language streaming service.”

“With today’s announcement, we are giving an early view into the scale and scope of our streaming ambitions. My partners and I closed on our acquisition of Univision less than six months ago, and I am incredibly proud of the progress we have made to date. With the acquisition and integration of VIX and the launch of the current, early version of PrendeTV, we now have an audience that is more than 7 million users worldwide and growing rapidly,” said Univision CEO Wade Davis. “Pierlugi has brought together some of the best streaming executives in the industry. Michael has built, scaled and globalized one of the most successful streaming products in the world. Rafael has extensive experience scaling large, ad-supported video audiences, and Rodrigo is a pioneer in premium Spanish-language streaming and content. With this team and the resources we are allocating, we will launch a service that is differentiated, high quality and best in class.”